Sunday, 19 October 2008

More than 5000 protestors – including Military Families Against War members – showed their strength of opposition to the Labour Party conference when they paraded through Manchester.

Jeremy Corbyn, a Labour Party MP who opposes the war in Iraq, spoke at the event and called the march “fantastic.”

The protestors marched throughout Manchester this weekend and stopped for a minutes silence at the war memorial in St Peters Square before ending with a rally at Castlefield arena.

Corbyn received masses of cheers when he said: “We do not want to resolve the problems of the 21st century by using the outdated methods of earlier centuries by weapons of mass destruction, war, mass killing and all that goes with that.”

Corbyn was joined by Tony Benn and Guardian journalist Seumas Milne who also spoke the rally.

A letter was handed to a representative of the Prime Minister explaining that the demonstration was in protest at the government's foreign policy.

It read: "We urge you to deliver on your commitment to withdraw all British troops from the illegal and catastrophic occupation of Iraq.”

The march was called for by Stop the War, CND and the British Muslim Initiative.